US President Donald Trump signs executive order on architecture as coronavirus pandemic rages

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to promote “beautiful” federal buildings, trying to weed out “ugly” modernist styles in favor of classical architecture.

Some have questioned the timing of the order and the president’s priorities, as the US continues to record more than 3,000 deaths per day from Covid-19 despite the launch of the vaccine.

The country’s devastating third wave is out of control, and hospitals in the worst-hit states are teeming with seriously ill patients.

The order, the draft of which was leaked to the media in February, has a particular problem with Brutalist architecture, characterized by massive block-shaped poured concrete structures, which began to emerge in the 1950s after the federal government changed its official policy to discourage traditional designs in favor of contemporary ones.

In contrast to America’s “prized” landmarks such as the White House and the Capitol Building, which were inspired by the architecture of ancient Athens and Rome, the order says that many in the public found the newer buildings “little attractive “.

Some, like the Hubert H Humphrey Department of Health and Human Services building and the Robert C Weaver Department of Housing and Urban Development building, “were controversial and attracted widespread criticism for their brutalist designs,” he adds.

“New federal building designs should, like America’s most beloved landmark buildings, enhance and beautify public spaces, inspire the human spirit, ennoble the United States, inspire respect from the general public, and, as appropriate, respect the architectural heritage of a region “. says the order.

“They must also be visibly identifiable as civic buildings and must be selected with input from the local community.”

The order applies to all federal courthouses and agency headquarters, all federal public buildings in the District of Columbia, and all other federal buildings that cost more than $ 50 million.

The president blames the General Services Administration for continuing the ugly buildings trend, despite the establishment of a Design Excellence Program in 1994 in response to “widespread criticism that the buildings it had been commissioning lacked distinction.”

“Under the Design Excellence Program, GSA has often selected designs from prominent architects without regard to local input or regional aesthetic preferences,” the order says.

“The resulting federal architecture sometimes impresses the architectural elite, but not the American people whom the buildings are intended to serve. Many of these new federal buildings are not even visibly identifiable as civic buildings.”

He cites the San Francisco Federal Building, “praised by elite architects” but “considered by many San Francisco residents … one of the ugliest structures in their city.” “It is time to update the policies that guide federal architecture to address these issues and ensure that architects who design federal buildings serve their clients, the American people,” he says.

“Classical architecture and other traditional architectures, practiced both historically and by architects today, have demonstrated their ability to meet these design criteria and more than meet today’s functional, technical and sustainable needs. Their use should be encouraged rather than get discouraged. “

The order defines classical architecture as the “architectural tradition derived from the forms, principles, and vocabulary of ancient Greek and Roman architecture”, encompassing styles including Neoclassical, Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, fine arts, and art deco .

The order states that if the GSA wishes to approve a design of a different style, “including brutalist or deconstructivist architecture or any design derived from or related to this type of architecture,” the Administrator must notify the president.